Vitamin D and Colitis

I take a daily Vitamin D supplement, and I've been doing well lately, though it never struck me as making a strong difference.

There have been studies showing that ulcerative colitis is more prevalent among people living further north away from the equator, which some scientists think means that vitamin D levels may play a role in UC.

For me it was the opposite. Taking high doses of vitamin D3 made me better in the short term and then my health got worse. I did a lot of research on this and it turns out that synthetic D3 acts as an immune suppressant (secosteroid-D) if the body lacks the cofactors like magnesium, retinol (active vitamin A), and bioavailable copper to convert it to active forms. Without the conversion, the storage form builds to eventual toxic levels.

They're also finding now in the huge meta-studies that it doesn't seem to improve bone density. The only people who seem to benefit from D3 supplements are those who have poor genetic status for converting the various forms of D3. In those people, D supplementation is essential. They are about 10-15% of the population. I believe the genetic mutation is VDRtaq.

Once I stopped taking vitamin D and got all my D through natural sunlight during the warmer seasons, my health got better. It turns out that if you expose yourself regularly to Sun in the summer, the body can store enough D for the dark season. Alternatively, you can take cod liver oil which has low and natural levels of natural D that we are meant to take, less than 100ug per day. For myself, I avoid CLO because it's very high in PUFA which is not good for IBD.

Are u still ok?when did u start taking the d vitamin?

I found this a while back at WebMD. Southerners May Be Less Likely To Have Crohns and Ulcerative Colitis

https://www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/crohns-disease/news/20111031/southerners-may-be-less-likely-to-have-crohns#1

HJQuinn - what 'cloves' do you mean?

thanks HJQuinn

Lol HJ. I've had my Vitamin D levels checked in the past and they were normal. I don't supplement, other than a multi-vitamin once a week or so.

Champignons and egg yolks contain quite a lot of Vitamin D. I often prepare egg - champignons 'kotlety', it's very simple and delicious both warm and cold. You need:
5 hard boiled eggs
1 raw egg
5 champignons
4 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons of finely cut parsley leaves or dill (optional)
1 onion
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of oil for frying plus some extra breadcrumbs
Cut the onion finely and fry it on some butter (e.g. ghee). Grate hard-boiled eggs and champignons into a bowl. Add the onion, raw egg, bradcrumbs, salt, parsley (I prefer dill) and mix the paste thoroughly. Leave for 15 minutes. Then form small round 'kotlety' cutlets and toss them in some extra breadcrumbs. Fry them on 3 tablespoons of oil for several minutes on each side until golden. I cooked them today and have already eaten all of them

Interesting article. I still take 2000UI of D3 a day even though I do not see any difference.

Yes, you are probably right. I have stopped taking D3 completely and I am waiting what will happens.

Scarecrow said...
I found this a while back at WebMD. Southerners May Be Less Likely To Have Crohns and Ulcerative Colitis

https://www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/crohns-disease/news/20111031/southerners-may-be-less-likely-to-have-crohns#1

Have you used any probiotics like VSL#3 or similar? Do you see any benefits if you take probiotics?
I'm new to chinese herbal medicine but I'll definitely give them a shot. Do you know of any EU webshops that carry them?

If one probiotic doesn't help you I would try a few more before discounting them.

Recent research has found that everyone falls into a number of distinct categories for gut bacteria. I think it's three, and you don't necessarily have the same type as your mother. I would guess from that that different people would benefit from different types of probiotics.